Attorney General Doug Gansler paid the ticket Tuesday afternoon -- 16 months after it was issued -- after the I-Team found it and started asking questions. The ticket is part of Gansler's feud with state troopers, who have complained he makes them drive like cowboys.

The ticket in question was issued last summer by a speed camera in Washington, D.C. A record of it on the District's website shows the ticket was issued June 11, 2012, to a vehicle with a Maryland temporary tag registered to the state. The violation was for going 21 to 25 mph over the speed limit.

The amount due climbed to $400 after it wasn't paid, I-Team lead investigative reporter Jayne Miller said.

According to sources, the citation was issued to the Chevy Tahoe assigned to Gansler, and it served to deepen the feud between Gansler and the state police troopers assigned to protect him.

In an email written last November, the head of the state police protection unit wrote that he was "advised (by another trooper) that the attorney general got an updated ticket with an increased fine. He threw it away and said he was not paying it."

With the fine still unpaid in August, a trooper made clear in another email that Gansler was the one driving the vehicle when the ticket was issued, not any of the troopers, and he repeated the trooper's claim that Gansler was refusing to pay. The trooper wrote, "The AG was notified, I told him about the ticket, and he said he wasn't going to pay it. He said he thought since it was on the temporary registration that it would be OK."

In a television interview last week, when Gansler referred to the troopers as "henchmen," he denied any record of a ticket.

"They said I even got a speeding ticket that I didn't pay. Well, there is a public record to show I never got a speeding ticket. So we know that's not true," Gansler said in the interview.

Gansler has since paid the ticket, saying in a statement late Tuesday afternoon, "I have never received a speeding ticket in my state vehicle from a police officer in Maryland. Apparently, my office did receive a photo-camera ticket for my state vehicle from the District of Columbia. While determining who was driving the vehicle at that time, me or a trooper, the ticket was inadvertently not paid. Without me determining who was driving, I have paid the ticket."

The I-Team has learned that state police were assigned to drive Gansler that day in the evening after the ticket was issued.

Controversy could cause political problems

As Gansler continues his campaign for governor, experts said this type of issue could be a problem.

"When you've got something that you've done that's not quite right, the right thing to do is to get everything out right away so nobody can mouse-trap you later on," said political analyst Matthew Crenson.

"Every citizen, whether you're an elected official or an everyday person, needs to pay their tickets. There can't be this idea that one is above the law," said professor John Bullock of the political science department at Towson University.

11 News was told Gansler was not available for an interview Tuesday night.

THIS IS 11 NEWS AT 6:00 EM GOOD EVENING. I'M ROD DANIELS. I'M DONNA HAMILTON. DOES A SPEED CAMERA TICKET TRACK DOWN BY OUR TEAM CONTRADICT THE CLAIM ABOUT HIS DRIVING RECORD? JAYNE MILLER HAS MORE ON THE STORY. IT IS PART OF THE FEUD WITH STATE TROOPERS COMPLAINING HE MAKES THEM DRIVE LIKE COWBOYS. HIS DECISION COMES 16 MONTHS AFTER THE TICKET WAS ISSUED AND AFTER WE FOUND IT AND STARTED ASKING QUESTIONS. THE QUESTION WAS ISSUED BY A SPEED CAMERA IN D.C. LAST SUMMER. IT WAS ISSUED JUNE 11, 2012 TO A VEHICLE WITH A MARYLAND TEMPORARY TAG TO THE STATE. THE AMOUNT DUE CLIMBED TO $400. THE CITATION IS THE ONE THAT WAS ISSUED TO THE CHEVY TAHOE ASSIGNED TO ATTORNEY GENERAL DOUG GANSLER AND SERVED TO DEEPEN THE FEUD BETWEEN HIM AND THE STATE POLICE TROOPERS ASSIGNED TO PROTECT HIM. THE HEAD OF THE STATE POLICE PROTECTION UNIT WRITES HE HAS BEEN ADVISED THAT THE AG GOT AN UPDATED TICKET WITH AN INCREASED FINE. HE THREW IT AWAY AND SAID HE WAS NOT PAYING IT. THE TROOPER MAKES CLEAR THAT HE WAS THE ONE DRIVING WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS ISSUED, NOT ANY OF THE TROOPERS AND REPEATS THE CLAIM THAT HE IS REFUSING TO CLAIM TO PAY. HE SAID HE WAS NOT GOING TO PAY. HE THOUGHT SINCE IT WAS ON TEMPORARY REGISTRATION THAT IT WOULD BE OK. IN A TV INTERVIEW LAST WEEK WHEN HE REFERRED TO THE HEAD OF THE STATE POLICE UNIT AS A HENCHMAN, HE DENIED ANY RECORD OF A TICKET. THEY SAID I GOT A SPEEDING TICKET THAT HE DID NOT PAY. THERE'S A PUBLIC RECORD THE SHOW I NEVER GOT A SPEEDING TICKET, SO WE KNOW THAT'S NOT TRUE. ABOUT 430 THIS AFTERNOON WE RECEIVED A STATEMENT THROUGH HIS OFFICE THAT SAYS, I HAVE NEVER RECEIVED A SPEEDING TICKET FROM A POLICE OFFICER IN MARYLAND. APPARENTLY MY OFFICE DID RECEIVE A PHOTO CAMERA TICKET FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. DETERMINING WHO WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT THAT TIME, THE TICKET WAS INADVERTENTLY NOT PAID WITHOUT ME DETERMINING WHO WAS DRIVING, I PAID THE TICKET. STATE POLICE WERE ASSIGNED TO DRIVE HIM THAT DAY IN THE EVENING AFTER THE TICKET WAS ISSUED.